Francis P. Murphy

Francis Parnell Murphy
64th Governor of New Hampshire
In office
January 7, 1937 – January 2, 1941
Preceded byStyles Bridges
Succeeded byRobert O. Blood
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Personal details
Born(1877-08-16)August 16, 1877
Winchester, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedDecember 19, 1958(1958-12-19) (aged 81)
Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political partyRepublican (1931–1941)
Democratic (1942–1958)

Francis Parnell Murphy (August 16, 1877 – December 19, 1958) was an American manufacturer and politician from Nashua, New Hampshire. He served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and on the Governor's Council before serving as the 64th governor of New Hampshire from 1937 to 1941.

Murphy supported Roosevelt's New Deal policies and switched to the Democratic Party in an attempt to unseat U.S. Senator Styles Bridges in the 1942 Senate election. He retired from politics to enter the radio broadcasting business and later started the WMUR radio and television stations in Manchester - the station takes its name from Murphy's surname.[1]

A large flood control project in northern New Hampshire at the headwaters of the Connecticut River is named for him, with Murphy Dam impounding Lake Francis.[2] He was also responsible for one of the first ski area aerial tramways in the United States when the Cannon Mountain aerial tramway was built in Franconia Notch.

  1. ^ Wetherbee, Fritz. "Fritz Wetherbee: Robert O. Blood". WMUR. Published January 25, 2024. Accessed January 31, 2023.
  2. ^ Ackerley, Carl (February 14, 1970). "Tracks 'n Trails (column)". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. p. 8. Retrieved August 14, 2019 – via newspapers.com.